In California’s Central Valley and rural north, more than a dozen hospitals have closed since the early 2000s. The closures often limit care options and inflict economic misery — some communities never recover.

The technology isn’t a panacea for all that ails rural health care today. Some areas still lack the required internet connectivity, and critics say telemedicine doesn't enrich a local economy in the way a hospital does, providing jobs and other community goods.

In California’s Central Valley and rural north, more than a dozen hospitals have closed since the early 2000s. The closures often limit care options and inflict economic misery — some communities never recover.